Also, the 'Flow' hive uses plastic frame foundation which is NOT in the bees best interest. Bees don't like having the size of each individual cell shape be man-made and have a predetermined size by a generic honeycomb shaped plastic mold. Plastic frames do not allow the bees to choose the size of each frame. Also, in colder climates, the plastic is less efficient for over wintering hives since there is less insulation than that pure, natural beeswax. How many new beekeepers buying this product know that?
You don't need to open the hive to extract honey...
...which adds to the convenience. If you're extracting honey from a hive you're not looking inside of, how do you know if you have a healthy, egg-laying queen? How do you know how much pollen/brood there is? How can you evaluate the health of your colony if you're blindly extracting honey whenever you want to add something sweet to your breakfast or to show off your new toy to your friends? You can't.
In other words, it's the perfect invention for lazy, hungry honey-eaters who are also terrified of being stung. It will create a generation of oblivious people with bees who don't know the delicate mechanics of the beautiful hive.
In 2011, I made a photographic body of work called Non Nobis by photographing beekeepers all over Massachusetts. The title is Latin for "we work but not for ourselves" and references the bee's enduring labor. The fruit of this labor, the bees never get to enjoy.
This product and new style of beekeeping is getting the millennial generation interested because it's instantly gratifying (I know, since I am a millennial.)
Beekeeping involves respect, patience, and attention to the natural world. After years of beekeeping you become attentive to humidity every time you step outside, you start noticing which flowers bloom first, and last, you stop hating pesky dandelions, when it rains you think of the bees. You're suddenly attentive to the size and shape of new vegetation in your garden. In other words, beekeeping takes over how you think the planet functions.